


To Be, or Not To Be

by ASharksReadingGlasses



Series: Ghost in the NYC [13]
Category: Danny Phantom, Daredevil (TV), Deadpool - All Media Types, Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Universe - Fandom, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Dissociation, Existential Crisis, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, He just wants to keep his kid healthy, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions Of Unethical Experimentation, Peter Parker Acts Like a Spider, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Stress Cooks, Swearing, Team Halloween, Team as Family, stress cooking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASharksReadingGlasses/pseuds/ASharksReadingGlasses
Summary: Danny has to make a decision: let his obsession/anchor develop to keep his powers, or let his core fade on the slimmest possible chance that he could go back to being normal. Peter and Wade won't let him make the choice by himself, and the full story of Dan comes out as Danny tries to explain his fears. Will the truth about Danny's alternate future destroy the last few connections he has?
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Peter Parker, Danny Fenton & Wade Wilson, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson
Series: Ghost in the NYC [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045206
Comments: 135
Kudos: 573





	To Be, or Not To Be

**Author's Note:**

> Made in collaboration with [Stove](https://the-stove-is-on-fire.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> Edit: also, I made a quick guide [here](https://healthysharkshealthyocean.tumblr.com/post/642693913909608448/hshos-guide-to-the-sciencemystics-of-ghosts) for some of my ghost theory hc's if anyone's interested.

The ride back to Peter's apartment was like a series of scenes badly edited together by an amateur cinematographer. All Danny could remember were snippets and flashes. One moment, he was absently agreeing with Dr. Strange to not use his powers (something about overwhelming the seal on his core?); the next he was standing on the sidewalk with Peter waiting for Dopinder to pick them up; then he was huddled against Peter's side in the cab, the car ride absolutely silent except for the traffic outside; and finally he was standing back in the apartment, the sun beginning to sink below the city skyline in the balcony window. Peter was gently trying to take Danny's coat off his shoulders, after he set the nearly empty thermos on the little end table by the door. Danny shrugged out of the jacket listlessly, toeing off his shoes before taking a step and then stilling. What was he supposed to do now? What did normal fifteen year olds do when they found out they were dying?

"Danny?" Peter tried delicately, cautiously laying a hand lightly on his shoulder. "You with me, bud?" Danny nodded vaguely, attempting to fill in some of the gaps in his memory before deciding it was a lost cause.

"I think I would like to be alone for a little while," Danny whispered, curling deeper into Wade's hoodie; he still hadn't taken it off. Peter swallowed roughly.

"Yeah, okay," Peter agreed, slumping down slightly in dismay, "You can take my room, if you want."

"Thank you," Danny nodded again, and turned towards the hallway when Peter's grip on his shoulder held him back.

"Hey, Danny, before you go, can I just-, can I give you one more hug?" Peter requested desperately.

Danny blinked before he turned back and buried his face into Peter's chest, letting his arms hang limply at his side. Peter instantly wrapped his arms around Danny, one across his shoulders and the other reaching up to cradle the back of his head. Peter took a shaky breath and let out a shuddering exhale as he squeezed Danny tighter, like he was trying to form a shield around him. A moment later Peter reluctantly let him go, and Danny walked to Peter's bedroom, not even acknowledging Wade and Fido as he passed them in the hall. He shut the door to Peter's room softly, not bothering to lock it as he face planted directly on to the bed. Danny flipped over onto his back, pressing one of the pillows to his chest.

The pillow smelled like Peter, and this was Peter's room; Danny felt tears well up in his eyes. He clutched the pillow tighter, his shoulders beginning to shake as tears started to drip down his face. As much as Danny ~~loved~~ liked Peter and Wade, he wanted to be in _his_ room. He wanted to curl up in his favorite fleecey galaxy blanket, and eat his favorite candy bars from the stash he had hidden in his bed frame, and listen to the new electric music he was starting to get into. He wanted to lay in a dog pile on his floor with Sam and Tucker, and eat a giant bowl of chips among the three of them, and for Jazz run her fingers through his hair or rub his back. He wanted to go _home_.

Danny's shoulders shook harder as another thought occurred to him. _W_ _hat the hell was he supposed to tell Sam, Tucker, and Jazz?_

_Sorry guys, we had a nice run, but I'm actually dying this time. My core is destabilizing because I don't have an obsession, so now I have a literal crack in my soul that's slowly killing me. It was good while it lasted, hope you don't miss me too much?_

Danny covered his face with the pillow, trying to stifle his louder sobs when he heard a distressed trill from the door, and he turned over to look with a sniffle. Fido had wedged themselves between the gap in the door and the floor, and was staring at him inquiringly. Danny sniffled again before he rolled on his side so his back was facing the door; he wasn't in the mood for company right now. Fido whined unhappily before wiggling free and flying towards Danny and hovering behind his neck. They tried whistling again before they bumping their face into his back.

"Not now Fido, please," Danny begged quietly, wiping the tears off his face. Fido cried softly again, before repeating the action and Danny felt something wash over his body.

_sȁ̩̪͚͖̅͒̄d͔̈,̲̾ ̖̱̟͙͑̅̄͠s̼̙̐a̡͎̰͓̳͌͊͛͂̚d̜̤̟̥͍͑̆̓̓,̛̭̞͇̉̋͜͡ ̛͔̮̫͒ **wȏ͎͍̣̈́͡r͈̼̼̹̋̍͘r̠̃i̦͎͍̋̋̓ḙ̦̍̉d̨̥̜̗̍̆̅̍** ,̱̫̬͒̓̈́ ̛͈̩͛w̤͗h̬̣͓̅̉ý͓̞̑?,͕̪̰̇̂̂ ̨̤̖̺̣͗̓͊̒͘ **n̲̩̤̦̾̇͗͌͌͜o s̮͊a̖͆d̞,͇̭̗̻͇̃̒̿̍̒** ̭̘̘̅̾̋n̬̖͚͋͆͌o̾ͅ ̪̝̻̑̆̕s͚͒̄͟a͈̥̗͌̓d͇͍̍̏̕͢͟͝,͉͖̩̝̾͂́͞ ̼͖̳̋͐̃͊ͅw͕̻̏͐ȯ̙̺̥̍̒͟͝ŕ̻̞̱̹͙̊̄̏͠r̫͋i̫͊e̠̖̫͖̅̌̍̕͜͞d͔̯̞̰̓̌̾͝,̺̜͍͔͖̓͒̀̔̚ ̱̬͍̦͊̂͘͘ **c͙̝̪͔̑̔͑͘o̜̗͛́m̼͖̣̍̐̕͢f̨̘̄̿ờ͕̣̮̰͌rt̮̔** ,̲̘̤͑̑̄͘͢ ̝͙̫̥͙͗̈͂͡ẅ̟̣́̈ḁ̢̛̤̻̑͘͡n̟͈̑̕t̙̒ ̡͖̼͚́̃̔h̠͎̺̹͑̇͛̈́͘͜a̹͓̯̭̓͌̓̋p̚͢p̧͖̻̏̚y̝̲͌̈͊͢,̟̺͛̚ ̡͇̅l̛̜̯̭̈́ov͔͊e͔̪͎̎̽̾_

Danny flinched with a start, sitting up and turning back to Fido as they stared at him with doleful eyes. He cupped his hands under Fido's body and brought them to his face, staring at them in amazement. After a moment, Danny lifted Fido to gently touch their foreheads together.

_c̫̭̮̙̏̃̋ȯ͖͕̖̦̯̀͐̇̽m̨͇̠̀̓̑f̧̗̟́̍͘ȏ̙r̠̒t̹͇̫̼͆͗̈̊͢͞,͙̏ ̙͖͉͓̎̌̽̇č͜o̥̟͇̪̓͛̐̎̔ͅm̫͙͉͒́́f̯̩̙̗̊̔̃̅o̧̡̳̰̽̆͋̈́̅͢rt̨̘͍͖̯͂̐̑̄͠,̫͕̱͈̟͋͛̏̉̀ ͈̪̼̦͐̉͐͞ **n̢̻͝͡o͓̎ ̖̣͂͛s̲̬̟̈͆̆͜à̛͍͚̞͂͝ͅd̗̉͟͞,̳̮͎͔̀̔̄** ŵ̜ớ̧̘̯̥̈r̥̈́r͙̃ï͙̮͍̎͋͛̚͜͜ȇ̗d͚̿,̳̬̬̊̅̾ ̖̍lo͉̗͌̃v͉̜̠̔̑͢͞ĕ̖̮͔͡,͓̓ ̞̺͒̄͘͟ **l̪̹̊̚o̢̫͚͚̊͊͝͝v͕̻̅́̔̑͟͢e̪̰̰̤͋͆̃̈́ ̙̝̊̐** l̡͙̬̙͙̆͗̋͝͞o͎͉̙̅̀̽̕͢v̡̠̩̒̐͛̚ͅe͍̚_

"Love you too, buddy," Danny replied faintly, filling the statement with as much adoration and gratitude as possible. "Don't suppose you know how I should tell my friends, do you?" Fido chirped sullenly, nuzzling into Danny's hands, before they floated up and around Danny's neck, purring comfortingly and feeding him more bits and pieces of their feelings.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Danny sighed, patting Fido on the head.

Still, having Fido here with him helped ground him, and Danny was able to pull himself out of his spiral and began to seriously think about how he was going to break the news to his friends. As much as he wanted to tell them in person (or at least over the phone), the thought of actually trying to talk with anyone right now made his breathing stutter. It would probably be inconsiderate to tell them the news over text, so he would have to do it over email. Danny decisively got up from Peter's bed and sat at the desk in the corner of the room, turning on the laptop and opening up the internet browser to login to his email account. The inbox popped up on screen and before he could click on the "Compose" button in the corner of the page, he noticed a new email in bold waiting to be opened and his core shuddered. It was from his dad. After staring at it for a few minutes, Danny dragged the mouse over the email and clicked it.

> **To: Danny   
>  **
> 
> **From:** **Dad (received 3:38 pm)  
>  **
> 
> **CC:  
>  **
> 
> **Subject:   
>  **
> 
> Hey Danno,
> 
> I know this is probably very sudden for you. Your mother and I have spent the last few days trying to come to terms with what happened. Trying to come to terms with what we did. I'm afraid your mother isn't taking this very well. She's been looking for answers, pouring over our research to see how we could have missed this. There's a lot of things that we - that I want to talk about with you. That I need to say to you. In person.
> 
> Can you set a meeting up with your lawyers and let me know as soon as possible? I need to see you.
> 
> I hope you're doing okay. We miss you, son.

Danny leaned back in the wheelie chair, his fingers curled over the sleeves of Wade's hoodie. A small part of him was relieved - the message seemed genuine enough, and it looked like his dad honestly wanted to see and talk to him. Another piece of his was anxious - what if it was a trick? What if all he wanted to do was see if Dannt was still the son _they_ wanted him to be? But the rest of him was so freaking frustrated. Why had it taken his parents so long to contact him in the first place? Why now, nearly a week since they had first spoken with Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson, had his father finally decided to contact him? Danny girt his teeth; he was so _tired_ of his life spinning out of his control. If he was going to do this, he was doing it on his terms. Getting in touch with his friends would have to wait - he had a lawyer to call.

* * *

Peter watched hopelessly as Danny trudged to his bedroom, not even sparing Wade and Fido a glance when he passed them in the hall by the kitchen.

"Hey, you guys are back..." Wade tried to call out to him, but Danny shuffled by them in a daze, like he wasn't even there, and then he was out of sight before they all heard the sound of Peter's bedroom shutting gently. Fido looked between Peter and the door before churring unhappily and gliding down the hall. Wade turned back to him as he leaned against the kitchen door frame. "What the hell was that? Did Dr. Houdini fix him up or what? What's going on?" Peter gnawed on his lip as he made his way to the sofa and sat down heavily, leaning his elbows on his knees, intertwining his fingers together, and holding them in front of his chin. Wade wandered around the couch and sat next to him.

"Peter?" Wade repeated, and Peter decided to just tell him. To make it quick, like a band aid.

"Danny's dying," Peter choked out, and his shoulders trembled. Wade flinched like he'd been punched in the gut.

"You're joking," Wade said incredulously, but then he studied Peter's face for a few seconds and sat ram-rod straight. "You're _not_ joking?"

"Uh huh," Peter mumbled into his hands, and Wade jumped up to pace angrily around the room.

"Fuck!" Wade exclaimed quietly, punching his knuckles against the brick wall again and again with every word. "God! Damn! Mother! _Fucker!_ " It took a few more seconds for Wade to calm down (and maybe few broken fingers) before he took a deep breath and sat back down next to Peter. "What's the game plan, Petey?" Wade asked him lightly, and Peter dragged a hand over his mouth.

"I don't know," Peter whispered helplessly.

"Whaddya mean, 'You don't know'?" Wade burst out, keeping his volume hushed.

"I mean I don't know, okay!?" Peter ground out harshly, straightening up to to shoot Wade a sharp look while tears started to gather in his eyes. "I don't have fucking clue and that _terrifies_ me, all right. We've only known Danny for a few months, but Wade, he's _our kid,_ and he's dying. And I can't-, I can't bury another part of my family, Wade, _I can't!_ I just-, I don't know what to do!" Wade bit his lip after a few moments, lifting Peter's face and cradling it between his hands as he brushed away Peter's tears with his thumbs.

"Pete," Wade began tenderly, "You're the strongest person I've ever known - and I don't just mean the spidey strength." Peter laughed wetly as more tears trailed down his face, lifting his hands to hold onto Wade's wrists, and Wade smiled lovingly before he continued, bumping their foreheads together. "You never let anything get you down for long, whether your in the Spider suit or not; the will you have is amazing. You used to tell me I could be better than I was, and _I am_ , now, because of you. You never gave up on me, even when you weren't sure what you were doing. So don't go giving up on him." Wade pulled Peter's face back slightly, and laid a soft kiss on his forehead before placing another warm one on his lips. Peter's heart swelled as he sighed faintly, breaking apart to stare into Wade's eyes.

"We'll figure this out, Pete - the both of us," Wade assured, and if Wade could believe that with all his heart, then so could Peter.

"I won't," Peter promised. "I won't give up on him."

* * *

The good mood lasted until it was time for Peter to go on patrol. As much as he wanted to stay home, New York needed Spider Man and he had an obligation to go patrol around the city like he had for past twelve years. So Peter took all his worries about Danny and compartmentalized them in a nice little box, pushing it as far down as he could so he could open it again later. Now mater how hard he tried though, some thoughts about Danny still slipped through, which made him agitated and anxious. He didn't take as many breaks as he normally did, didn't wait as long for signs of criminal activity in one area before moving on to the next one, and didn't quip as much while taking care of the felons he did find. Even Mr. Fransisco (the hotdog stand owner he got free snacks from) took one look at the silent and sullen expression on his mask, and offered him another hotdog to go.

Normally Peter would jump at the chance for more food, his metabolism burning through three thousand calories on a _relaxing_ day, but tonight he was so worried and anxious that the thought of more food made him nauseous. Those feelings followed him throughout his patrol, and halfway through he decided to call it quits. He wouldn't be help to anyone if he couldn't get his head in the game. Peter stopped on one of the taller buildings in the area and called Matt, asking if he could spread the word to the other vigilantes if they could check outside their comfort zones. After Matt responded with a concise and succinct "Yes," Peter sagged in relief and booked towards home.

After he landed on the fire escape under one of his bedroom windows, Peter leaned his back against the wall and gingerly knocked on the window. He at least wanted to try to give Danny some semblance of privacy. When the window didn't open after a few seconds, he turned around and peered inside. Danny was slumped over in his wheelie chair at his desk in front of his laptop, his arms pillowing his head near the keyboard. He was still wearing Wade's jacket, and Fido was cuddled down in the hood on Danny's back. Peter chewed on the inside of his cheek, then checked to make sure the window was unlocked before he pushed it open and slipped inside. Fido shivered silently as Peter's feet touched down on the carpet, peaking out of the hood before settling back down as Peter closed the window and locked it.

Peter pulled his mask off his head and took a deep breath. Danny still looked so tired, and Peter didn't want to risk waking him up by trying to get him in the bed. He padded around his room as quietly as he could, grabbing the top sheet off his bed and tugging it around Danny's shoulders. He looked briefly at the laptop, saw the cursor hovering over a blank email addressed to Danny's friends on the screen, and his heart broke a little. Not wanting to breach Danny's privacy more than he already was, Peter simply put the computer into sleep mode before gathering a change of clothes. Peter was about to leave when he hesitated for a second. He turned back and tucked the sheet more securely around Danny's shoulders before letting his hands trail soothingly through Danny's bangs. Danny shifted, curling deeper into the covers with a content sigh, and Peter felt a surge of deep protectiveness.

"We'll figure this out, Danny," Peter whispered, his heart swelling with love and determination as he echoed Wade's words from earlier. "I promise.

* * *

No one noticed that Danny's body glowed weakly before turning back to normal.

* * *

Danny woke up feeling warm and content, even with a small crick in his neck and back. He pushed his head off the desk, and saw warm light spilling into the bedroom from the two windows. He must have fallen asleep while he was trying to email his friends. Danny blushed as a pebble of guilt settled in his stomach; he hadn't meant to push Peter out of his bedroom when he wanted some space last night. Danny briefly thought of switching the computer back on to finish the email, but wavered when he didn't feel the conviction he had from last night to finish it. Instead, he looked around for his backpack, noticing that Fido was no where in sight as he changed into some fresh clothes. Today he wore a dark blue long sleeved shirt, and a pair of jeans. He stuffed the dirty ones in his duffel, checking the ectoplasm cartridge around his neck and switched it out for a new one.

As he put the used capsule in one of the duffel's side pockets, his hand brushed against the switchblade Wade had given to him months ago. Danny faltered before he pulled it out and held it in his palm. When he had gotten back home after the first trip to New York, he hadn't been able to keep the switchblade with all the time, even if he sorta wanted to. If his parents had found him with it, or, God forbid, a teacher, he would've been screwed. But that didn't mean Danny hadn't compulsively checked his go-bags every couple of days to make sure it was there, or had fiddled with the closed blade between his fingers. Just having it in his hands reminded him during those three months that someone had cared enough about his safety to give him something to defend himself with. He was about to put the knife back in is duffel when he paused. Considering what had happened the last time he went wandering around New York City when he couldn't use his powers, it was probably a good idea to keep this with him.

After he stuffed the knife, his phone, and his wallet into his jean pockets, Danny grabbed Wade's jacket and headed towards the living room. He had planned to leave Wade's jacket in the kitchen, and then sneak past whoever was on the couch and head to the cafe he was meeting Mr. Nelson and his dad at. Hopefully he could shoot Peter and Wade a text to let them know he was going out before they noticed he was missing. He was about to pass the kitchen entry way when he spotted a tuft of Peter's brown hair sticking out off the end of the couch. So if that was Peter, where was...

"Hey there, home slice," Wade called out from the kitchen, and Danny startled. "What'cha doing so early this morning?"

Wade was leaning on the counter next to the fridge, a bowl of cereal in his hands while Fido was clinging to his shoulder. He looked like he was getting ready to leave, wearing a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and his Deadpool mask rolled halfway down his face, while his leather jacket was folded over one of the kitchen chairs. Danny rattled off a string of curses inside his head; he had hoped Wade had left the apartment already. Oh well - he would just have to improvise. He tricked his parents more times than he could count; how hard could tricking Wade be?

"Hey Wade," Danny greeted faintly, stepping into the kitchen and holding Wade's zip-hoodie out to him. "I just wanted to give this back to you before I headed out."

"Awe, thanks squirt," Wade replied, munching on another spoonful, "You can keep it though; gotta keep warm some how. But ain't it a littler early to be going for a stroll?" Danny gulped as he brought the hoodie back to his chest.

"I just need to clear my head a bit," Danny responded, hunching his shoulders slightly, "Last night-, I guess I'm still trying to sort it all out." Wade nodded and the mood in the kitchen dimmed slightly, Fido chirping morosely.

"How you holdin' up?" Wade asked delicately, abandoning his bowl on the counter. Danny scoffed and shrugged his shoulders listlessly.

"It's not the first time my life has been in mortal danger," Danny answered sarcastically, "You know how it is; preventing an evil ghost from sucking your home town into an alternate dimension, stopping an ghost invasion, battling hordes of the undead. Just another normal day." Wade flinched as he let out a dry chuckle.

"Yikes," Wade remarked, "That's a little terrifying. Then it's probably best you don't mention that to Peter. He's liable to pack you up in bubble wrap and web you to a wall." Danny snickered.

"Yeah, right. He wouldn't go that far," Danny protested jokingly, but then wavered when Wade smirked at him. "Wait, he really would do that?"

"Oh, he'd manage something," Wade insisted, walking over to the table and grabbing his jacket. "He's special like that. But give me a second to finish getting ready and I'll walk with you." Danny bit his tongue as he restrained himself from shouting his objection.

"Um, no, that's all right," Danny reassured him, and gulped when Wade stilled. "I just-, I kinda want to try and sort it out myself, if that's okay."

"Yeah, sure," Wade relented, leaning back on the counter. "How long do you think you'll be? I can try to get Peter to make you something if you-."

"No, no," Danny told him hastily, nearly ready to pull his hair out. _C'mon, Wade, just let me leave!_ "He, um-, he looks tired, after everything that happened last night. We should let him sleep. Besides, I shouldn't be gone too long."

"Okaaay?" Wade drawled, and Danny bobbed his head decisively.

"Okay, cool," Danny echoed, pulling on Wade's zip hoodie and walking briskly out of the kitchen. "See you in a bit!" Danny slipped on his shoes and retreated out of the apartment quickly, sighing heavily after he closed the apartment door. _Finally_ , Danny thought as he jogged towards the steps and flipped up his hood. _One problem down, one to go._

* * *

Danny waited nervously outside the cafe, trying to find Mr. Nelson from the sidewalk and exhaling in relief when he saw him in the rushing crowd. Mr. Nelson was wearing a similar suit to the one he wore when Danny first met him, with the addition of a worn, leather messenger bag slung around his shoulder, a thin grey scarf around his neck, and bundled in a black wool coat.

"Hi Mr. Nelson," Danny greeted when he was close enough.

"Hey kid," Mr. Nelson returned with an easy grin, scanning the mass of people moving on the sidewalk and the small number of customers in the cafe. His smile turned a smidge tight. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Peter was supposed to be with you." Danny hiked his shoulders up to his ears.

"About that," Danny began, and Mr. Nelson groaned, reaching up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. "Peter doesn't know I'm here, or about the meeting."

"I should have known," Mr. Nelson whined before giving Danny a stern look. "Listen Danny, I shouldn't discuss your emancipation with your parents unless Peter's here since-."

"That's not what this is about," Danny interrupted quietly, crossing his arms uncomfortably. When Mr. Nelson hesitated, Danny continued. "This isn't about my emancipation, it's-, it's personal. I want to hear what my dad has to say about my... about my powers."

"Then why even meet with your father like this at all? Why didn't you ask Peter to be here with you?" Mr. Nelson questioned. Danny swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Because my dad asked me," Danny answered, "And I need to do this myself. I _want_ to do this myself. I have to move on from what they did to me, and this - meeting him on _my_ _terms_ \- will help." Mr. Nelson looked at him for a few more seconds before he grumbled and dragged a hand down his face.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Mr. Nelson muttered as he turned to open the cafe door and headed inside. "I'm here for emotional support _only_ , got it? Legally I have to be here as a witness, but no talk about your emancipation - not a peep, you get me?"

"I understand," Danny agreed, following on the back of Mr. Nelson's heels like a puppy. "Thank you so much for doing this, Mr. Nelson."

"Call me Foggy," Mr. Nelson - Foggy requested as he slid into a back corner booth away from the majority of the other people in the cafe. He shrugged out of his coat while Danny unzipped Wade's oversized jacket and pulled off his hood. "Why did you choose me to do this anyway? Matt would've given you way less grief," Foggy questioned, and Danny fumbled slightly as he slipped next to Foggy.

"Mr. Murdock just, um-, it seemed like he was too... Invested? About my, uh, situation. You seem more level headed, and I kinda need someone to talk sense into me when I get upset," Danny remarked as he fidgeted with the cuffs on the hoodie sleeve. Foggy gaped beside him.

"I don't know whether to be hurt that you think I'm not as invested in your case as Matt is," Foggy said incredulously, "Or to be surprised that you put that much thought into this."

Danny flushed brightly, hiding his face in his arms on the table. He was about to retort when he heard the bell above the entrance door jingle, and he whipped his head up to see who it was. Danny exhaled shakily, slowly picked his head up and leaned back in his seat when he saw his father's massive figure in the door frame. His dad looked tired, his hair slightly out of place, and his clothes rumpled. Instead of his normal bright orange jumpsuit, he was wearing jeans and thick flannel shirt under a jacket. His eyes roamed over the rest of the cafe before they landed on Danny and he froze. He shuffled over to their table after a few seconds, carefully sliding into the opposite side of the booth across from Danny, his hands laying limply in his lap.

"Hey Danny," Dad greeted, and Danny tried not to latch on to the fact that his dad had called _Danny_ , and not _Danno_ or _son_ like he normally did. Before Danny could reply, Dad turned and addressed Foggy. "Mr. Nelson. Is your partner here too?"

"Mr. Fenton," Foggy replied back politely. "Matt is currently working with another client at this time. Because you and your son are going to talk about more personal maters, I'm only here as emotional support and to... monitor the conversation. Will that suffice?" Dad agreed with a bob of his head, and it was silent at the table for a minute.

"How's your chest doing, Danny?" Dad asked nervously, and Danny blinked.

"It's-, healing," Danny answered, his throat dry. "Doesn't hurt anymore." Dad heaved a relieved sigh.

"Good," Dad breathed, "That's good. I wanted-, I'm glad you're... I'm so glad you're okay, Danny. And your mother and I, we're so sorry." Danny felt a twinge of irritation; nearly a week and a half after they had shot him, and _now_ they - or at least his father - wanted to apologize? He chewed on the inside of his cheek, using the moment to try and rein himself in; it wouldn't do any good if he blew up at his Dad right at the being of the conversation.

"How's Jazz doing?" Danny asked instead, trying to ease into a safe topic. Dad flinched, bringing one of his large hands up to rub at his head.

"We don't really know; she won't return any of our calls or reply to our emails," Dad answered as he let his hand drop to the table, and then he looked at Danny pointedly as if he had just realized something. "Did she know about all this?" Danny gulped; maybe he should have just reacted to his dad's apology instead.

"Not at first," Danny responded, shifting uneasily in his seat. "But she figured it out a couple of months into freshman year." Dad's mouth tightened into a frown, and a crease formed between his brows.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Dad demanded hotly while Foggy eyes ping-ponged between the two of them with a frown. "She should have told us the minute she found out! All those times your mother and I-, we could've-!"

"Could've what?" Danny interrupted lowly, his earlier irritation coming back full force, and Dad froze as a weight settled over the table. "Killed me? Believe me, _I know_. But I was scared about how you guys would have reacted! She didn't tell you because I asked her _not to,_ and Jazz understood how it wasn't her secret to tell. Don't blame anything on Jazz; it was _my_ decision to keep this a secret from you."

"Danny, Mr. Fenton," Foggy pipped up, and the oppressive atmosphere washed away in a blink, "You're both getting a little hot under the collar. Either calm down, or find another topic." Danny looked away guiltily for a few moments as he collected his thoughts.

"Jazz _hated_ that I wouldn't tell you," Danny continued, much more gently this time. "She always encouraged me to talk to you guys about my powers because she didn't want you to hurt me by accident. And I _wanted_ to tell you guys; I really, _really_ did. But every time I tried, you and Mom had new ghost weapon, or a new containment device, or another ghost would come through the portal, and I would get scared again. There was never a right time to do it." Dad was speechless as he took in everything Danny revealed before he licked his lips and spoke.

"Can you show me, Danny? Your powers?" Dad asked him softly.

Foggy was about to object, but Danny beat him to the punch and reached down into his core. He could feel the seal around his core stretch, but not strain; it didn't hurt to use this part of his power. It almost felt like flexing his fingers after holding them in position for too long. He flared his eyes, flashing them so brightly that the table between them shined green from the reflection for a brief moment before he let his eyes go back to normal. Dad's breath hitched, and then he let out a long heavy sigh.

"It's different, seeing it up close," Dad remarked sadly, not meeting Danny's eyes. "After we-, when you showed us the first time, I couldn't really believe it. Our son, the ghost kid; it shouldn't have been possible." He tapped his fingers nervously on the table before he continued. "When did all of this-, when did you start being Phantom? Why?" Dad asked.

"It didn't happen right away," Danny admitted after a moment. "I didn't even know I had powers until a couple of days after the accident. I kept turning intangible or invisible on by mistake; nearly floated through the ceiling in my bedroom the first time I changed. After that I just concentrated on trying to control my powers. I didn't go looking for ghosts, not at first." Danny intertwined his hands under of the table, twiddling his thumbs together. "The first time I went after a ghost was a month afterward; a specter was trying to hurt Sam at school."

"Sufferin' Spooks, that Lunch Lady ghost?" Dad asked, gobsmacked.

"Yeah, that one," Danny nodded, wringing his hands underneath the table. "I thought I could... I don't know what I thought I could do. I just didn't want Sam to get hurt. After that, it seemed like every time a new ghost would show up, Tucker and Sam, or Jazz, or you and Mom would be right in the middle of it. So I just started catching any ghosts that started to come through the portal." Dad brought up a hand and dragged it over his mouth.

"What about the shades?" Dad accused softly, and Danny felt a trickle of foreboding slip down his spine.

"What about them?" Danny retorted sharply, sitting straight in his seat and nearly jamming his hands on the underside of the table in his shock. Dad heaved a sigh while Foggy looked at them in confusion.

"Danny, you sneaked into the lab and released nearly fifty shades back into the ghost zone!" Dad replied exasperatedly. Danny grit his teeth and curled his hands in over sized sleeves of Wade's hoodie.

After his accident, Danny had learned very quickly that not all ghosts were out to get him; most, especially shades, were simply curious and exploring. He had promptly become fond of every little shade that seemed content to just hang around him, and felt obligated to help them back into the ghost zone if they got lost. Nearly a month after Danny was actively used his powers as Phantom, he had walked in on his parents testing one of their devices on a newly formed shade. He had frozen in horror as his parents explained to him that they were keeping lower level ghosts to test their inventions on. That night, he had slipped back into the lab as Phantom and freed all of the shades (and he had nearly cried when he found that some had turned into wraiths) and herded them back into the ghost zone. Since then, any shade he found was promptly put in a separate thermos for safe keeping, and later released somewhere deep in the ghost zone.

"You were using them for your weapons testing," Danny ground out, his voice cold while Foggy looked pointedly at his dad. Dad threw his arm out in a sweeping motion.

"So what!?" Dad exclaimed, and Danny's stomach dropped. "They're just shades, Danny. They aren't even alive!" Danny felt his eyes flash unintentionally, his temper making them burn such an intense toxic green that his dad's eyes grew wide and he leaned away from the table. The seal around his core stretched, feeling like a small weight was pressing against Danny's chest, but he ignored it.

"Guess that means I'm not alive either then, huh?" Danny retorted hotly, and Dad's face went pale.

"Wait, Danny-, that's not what I-," Dad tried to backtrack, but Danny continued over him.

"No, shut up! For once, you are going to listen to me!" Danny bit out harshly, dropping his head and pulling his hood up to keep his eyes hidden from any nosy patrons in the cafe. "Ghosts, even shades, can _think_ and _feel_ , Dad. Maybe ghosts aren't alive by _your_ standards, but just because something doesn't conform to your rules and expectations doesn't make it wrong. Just because ghosts aren't necessarily living doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want to them." The weight on his chest began to increase as his core started to flare, but Danny grit his teeth and ignored it.

"Guys-," Foggy tried to break them up, but Danny spoke over him

"There is so much you don't understand about ghosts or the ghost zone," Danny declared, keeping his tone low. "There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of ghosts that want nothing more than to be left alone! And some of them have been around for hundreds of years! But you're too busy shooting at anything that comes through the portal to even stop to ask yourself if you _should_. You can't judge every ghost in existence based on the handful of aggressive ones you meet!"

Danny was about to finish his rant when he felt like something in is chest was about to tear. One of his hands whipped out to clutch at his chest as he hunched over the table and coughed roughly, the pain stealing his breath. He realized that his core was flaring too strongly and the seal was straining. Danny clenched his eyes tightly, and pushed the power in his core back down as he attempted to gather his breath. Both Foggy and his Dad jerked in surprise at his coughing fit as he tried to get a handle on his breathing.

"Danny!" Dad uttered, standing in his seat, and tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but Danny leaned out of his reach. Foggy shot Dad a glare that sent him sitting back in his seat, and then returned his attention to Danny.

"Kid, you okay?" Foggy asked urgently, "Do you need anything?" Danny shook his head forcefully, hacking out one last cough before he straightened in his seat.

"No, I'm fine," Danny denied, but his hand was still coiled in his shirt over his chest.

"No you're not," Dad countered softly, his hands curled into fists on the table. "What was that? You've never-, I've never seen that happen to you, even after your accident or as Phantom." Danny groaned, untangling his hand from his shirt and hiding his face. After all the shit that had happened because he had lied about his powers, he should probably tell Dad the truth, even if it made his core tremble anxiously.

"It's my core," Danny conceded as he dragged his hand down his face. "My core is destabilizing." Foggy looked at him, confused, while Dad gaped in shock.

"What's a core?" Foggy asked, but his question was disregarded.

"Your core!?" Dad gasped worriedly, "Danny, that's-!"

"Hello!" Foggy pipped up exasperatedly, looking between Danny and his father. "Anybody want to fill me in on what the hell is going on?"

"A ghost's core is their power source," Dad quickly explained. "It's a culmination of their being. When a core destabilizes, then the ghost-."

"Dies," Danny finished, his voice boding no argument. "Without a core, a ghost dies." His father frowned at the word usage, but nodded in agreement. Foggy paled drastically.

"So-, wait," Foggy mumbled hysterically, facing Danny in the booth, "Your telling me that you have a-, and it's-, _holy shit, are you dying right now!?_ " Danny bit his lip and bobbed his head. "Why didn't you tell me!? That's it, we're going to the hospital - right now!" Foggy stated, and made a motion to get up. Danny reached over and grabbed his wrist in a surprisingly strong grip, forcing Foggy to sit back down.

"They won't be able to do anything," Danny argued with a sigh, releasing Foggy and leaning back in his seat, tipping his head back against the wall in defeat. "Even it we could, there's a chance they might contact the GIW, and I don't need that on top of everything else." Foggy brought a hand to cover his mouth, exhaling harshly through his nose as he struggled to come up with a solution.

"Why is your core destabilizing?" Dad questioned frantically. "Is it because there isn't enough ambient ectoplasm here?" Danny shook his head, reaching a hand under his collar to lift the ectoplasm cartridge out from under his shirt.

"Figured out that problem already," Danny muttered, letting the capsule dangle between his fingers briefly before slipping it back into place. Dad looked fascinated.

"You're using catalyzed ectoplasm as an portable ectosource," Dad realized, grinning excitedly as he leaned forward on the table. "Danny-, that's genius!" Dad's grin slid off his face a second later. "But if you have an energy source, why is your core destabilizing?"

"It's my obsession," Danny admitted grudgingly, still leaning back in his seat. His father blinked in bewilderment.

"You have a ghost obsession?" Dad inquired, and Danny shrugged.

"Yes-, well not really. Kind of?" Danny trailed off uncertainly. "It's complicated. I honestly didn't think I had an obsession until my core decided to go on the fritz. So now I don't even know how to fix it."

"Hey, your lawyer is still sitting right here. What the heck is a ghost obsession?" Foggy demanded.

"It's basically a theme that helps keep a ghost's identity together," Danny answered offhandedly, and his father looked at him in surprise, like he hadn't expected Danny to know that. "I'll explain it later."

"Maybe I could help," Dad stated cautiously. Danny flinched noticeably, but Dad was quick to reassure him when he realized what Danny was afraid off. "Not like that! I just meant-, maybe I could help you figure out your obsession. No tests or experiments, just-, just answering some questions." Danny hesitated, drumming his fingers nervously on his arms as he thought. Dad noticed his hesitation, and slumped in his seat. "Please Danny?" Dad begged quietly. "I know your mother and I hurt you-. And we're so, _so sorry_. But your our son. We just want want you to be all right." Danny gripped his arms and then exhaled slowly.

"What kind of questions did you have in mind?" Danny asked after a moment, tentatively accepting the figurative olive branch Dad was offering. Dad perked up, and eagerly began rattling off questions.

* * *

Danny continued to talk to his father for twenty more minutes about his possible ghost obsession. When they couldn't nail down a concrete concept, even after narrowing down the possibilities, Dad had asked if he noticed any odd or compulsive behavior. Danny was hauntingly reminded of his blackout during his fight with Vlad; the thought chilled him to his core, and he instantly ended the topic about his obsession then and there. He could tell Foggy and Dad worried about his sudden aversion to the topic, but they thankfully backed off, accepting Danny's excuse that he should probably go. Just before he left, he asked his father something that had been worrying him since last night.

"How's Mom doing?" He asked quietly as they all stepped out of the cafe and onto the sidewalk. His father exhaled heavily.

"She's-, she's not taking it very well," Dad admitted rubbing the back of his head, and Danny's stomach dropped. "You know how analytical she can be. Your situation-, it's hard for her to accept." His father saw the look on Danny's face, and sighed again. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. I'll talk to her tonight, all right? She'll come around, you'll see." Danny nodded sluggishly, and Dad put a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Not to put you on the spot, Mr. Fenton," Foggy stated, reluctant to interrupt the moment, "But the date for Danny's hearing with the Family Court representative is only a few days away. You'll need to get that paperwork in order soon." Dad flinched, taking his hand off Danny's shoulder and turned to Foggy.

"Yes-, of course," Dad replied, standing awkwardly on the sidewalk. "I'll keep in touch. See you soon Danny." Dad hurriedly walked away, leaving Danny and Foggy on the sidewalk.

"So," Foggy probed cautiously, "Was it worth it? Talking to him like this?" Danny thought long and hard before he nodded, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets.

"Yeah," Danny answered, "Yeah, it was." Foggy nodded back.

"Then that's good enough for me," Foggy proclaimed, turning to face him. "You want me to walk you home?"

"No, I'm good," Danny replied. "Thank you again for doing this, Mr. Nelson." Foggy sighed fondly.

"I told you, call me Foggy," He said, holding his hand out to shake. Danny grinned, gripping Foggy's hand as he continued to speak. "I'll see you soon kid. Let me know if anything else happens, okay? Your health comes first, no mater what." Danny nodded, slipping his hand back into his pocket as Foggy walked to the curb and hailed a cab.

Once the taxi was out of sight, Danny started to make his way back to the apartment. After walking for a few blocks, he cut across a deserted one way street that snaked between two builds, passing an alleyway as he did. A hand suddenly gripped his upper arm and pulled in into the mouth of the alley, and his core shuddered. Remembering what had happened last time he was dragged into an alley, Danny flailed out wildly, dislodging the hand off his shoulder with a grunt and brandished the switchblade from out of his pocket.

"Hey, watch where you point that thing!" A familiar voice said, and Danny sagged when he recognized the person standing in front of him, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a leather jacket.

"Wade!" Danny shouted angrily, lowing the switchblade. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here?" Wade crossed his arms and arched one of his eyebrows in disbelief, quite visible even through the Deadpool mask.

"I don't know who you think you were fooling, home slice, 'cause a blind and deaf man wouldn't have even fallen for your excuses this morning," Wade grumbled while Danny folded the switchblade and put it back in his pocket. "And I think a better question would be, what are _you_ doing here?" Danny's core stuttered as he realized Wade must have seen him exit the cafe with his father. He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Please don't tell Peter," Danny begged, hunching his shoulders and holding onto his arms. Wade sighed, reaching out to tuck Danny to his side as they exited the ally and continued walking back to the apartment, this time taking the back way and avoiding the streets.

"Why did you just tell us you were going to meet with your dad?" Wade asked, and Danny gave a one armed shrug.

"Because I knew you would have wanted to come with me if I told you," Danny admitted, letting the hood of Wade's pilfered jacket cover his eyes. "And if you asked, I would have said yes. I just-. You guys have been helping me _so much_ and I-, I can't thank you enough for that. But I had to do this myself. I can't hide behind you guys for forever." Wade groaned after a moment.

"Jeeze," Wade complained, but Danny could tell he didn't really mean it, especially when he squeezed Danny closer to his side. "You're only fifteen, and you're already ten times more mature than I am." Danny snickered, relief flooding his system. Wade grinned back at him before he continued. "I won't mention it to Pete if you don't want to, kid. But if he asks I'm not gonna lie to him."

"Okay," Danny agreed, concluding that it was fair. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Danny piped up again. "How did you find me anyway?" Wade smirked.

"I was in special forces long before you were even in diapers, home slice," Wade bragged, a new saunter added to his steps. "Tracking you down was easy peesy, lemon squeezy." Danny rolled his eyes.

"So you're smart enough to stalk me all the way from the apartment," Danny concluded, "But dumb enough to drag me into an alleyway by surprise, knowing that I'm armed?" Wade sputtered indignantly, playfully noogie-ing Danny's head through his hood and making him stumble.

"Oh, I done much dumber things than that," Wade proclaimed, and started telling Danny about his earlier and tamer screw ups as Deadpool.

Danny laughed and smiled, but a part of his thoughts still lingered on his mother, and her reluctance to accept his powers. His mind flashed back to what Dr. Strange had said, and a horrible idea started to build up in his mind.

* * *

By the time they had arrived back at the apartment, Peter was already up and scurrying around in the kitchen, preparing huge brunch for all three of them. Wonderful smells of fresh food being cooked flooded the entire apartment, and Danny was drooling as soon as he opened the door. A pitcher of ice water, glasses, and three sets of silverware were set out on the coffee table in the living room, and Fido was busy playing with a tiny spoon while they curled in the ghost hammock. When Fido spotted them, they clutched their spoon in their tiny, blobby hands and rushed to greet Danny and Wade, chirping happily as they took off their jackets and shoes.

"Oh boy," Wade exhaled roughly when he noticed the everything on the coffee table. Danny shot him a confused look.

"What?" Danny asked, absentmindedly rubbing a finger under Fido's chin, making them churr. "What's wrong?"

"So I know it smells awesome in here and everything," Wade stage whispered to him as they quietly walked towards the kitchen, "But when Petey gets really anxious, he stress cooks."

As Wade whispered the last word, they both peered around the corner and looked into the kitchen; Danny's jaw promptly dropped while Fido hovered over their shoulders. Peter was standing over the stove, nervously bouncing his leg as he watched the last piece of french toast cook. Used plates, bowls, silverware, kitchen utensils, pans, and a cutting board were already piled high in the sink. The counter was covered in scraps of cheese and runaway slices of bell pepper, and the garbage was full of empty food containers, wrappers, and egg shells. The table was stacked with an assortment of foods. Cheesy scrambled eggs mixed with mushrooms and bell peppers, slices of thick bacon and sausage, a stack of french toast, and some kind of apple dessert sitting besides a warm container of maple syrup and a stack of three plates. Sensing their hesitation, Fido (the traitor) let out a shrill chirp that had Peter jumping and twisting around. His face instantly turned a bright shade of red that trailed down his neck.

"Oh! You guys are back," Peter said in a rush, turning back to the stove to hide his face. "Um, I made breakfast-, or brunch, I guess, I made brunch. I'm almost finished, so we can start eating soon-." As Peter was rambling, Wade slowly walked over to him and turned Peter around to face him, gingerly taking the spatula from Peter's hands.

"Why don't you take a seat, Petey-Pie," Wade suggested. Peter looked like he wanted to snatch the spatula back out of Wade's hands.

"No, I-, it's okay-, I got it," Peter stuttered, his leg bouncing faster with his nerves.

"Peter," Wade repeated more firmly, and this time Peter deflated like a sad balloon.

"All right," Peter conceded reluctantly before he turned and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, hiding his face in his hands. While Wade finished cooking the last piece of toast, Danny carefully made his way over to Peter. Fido floated down to Peter's lap and cooed gently. Peter shuddered before exhaling, removing his face from his hands and cradling the back of his neck.

"Sorry you had to see that," Peter told him, and then continued after Danny tilted his head in confusion. "You haven't been eating much these last couple of days. And then with everything that happened last night we didn't have time for dinner, and then Wade said you did have breakfast this morning, and I-. I only wanted to make sure you had something to eat today. I didn't mean to go so overboard."

Danny felt something catch in his chest as his core warmed happily. While his parents were always worried about his lack of appetite, they didn't really try anything to make it better. If Danny didn't want to eat, to them, that was that. To compensate, they let him and Jazz have free reign over the fridge and pantry, usually letting them eat what they wanted, whenever they wanted. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were the only ones who ever tried to get him to eat something by cooking his favorite foods, giving him his favorite snacks, dragging him to Nasty Burger, or making him sit in the middle seat when they went to the movies so he could hold the popcorn. The fact that Peter was worried enough about his health to practically make a five course meal when Danny was possibly dying...

Danny walked determinedly back into the living room to nab one of the forks off the coffee table, then returned to the kitchen. He marched over beside the table, grabbing a plate and spooned a large portion of eggs onto, before picking some french toast, and three slices of bacon. Peter and Wade had their eyes glued to him as he pulled the other chair out and sat next to Peter. Using one hand to hold the plate, and the other to maneuver the fork, Danny took a bite of the eggs.

"Peter," Danny groaned appreciatively after his first bite, eagerly going back for more. "Peter, this tastes _amazing_. I don't even like scrambled eggs this way, _what the hell._ How do you make these taste so good?"

His appetite finally kicked into overdrive, Danny tore a bite out of a piece of french toast next. His feet bounced happily as he made another happy noise as he munched on his food, finishing his plate in record time. Peter and Wade were watching him silently, although Danny could see Wade's eyes soften through his mask. When Danny was done, he set the plate down, and leaned to the side to give Peter a hug, Fido squished between them. Peter returned it hesitantly at first before gripping Danny tightly.

"Thank you, Peter," Danny told him.

"You're welcome," Peter replied a little wetly, but Danny could feel that there was a deeper meaning behind the words.

* * *

To say Peter had been embarrassed was an understatement; when Wade and Danny had walked into the kitchen, he had been utterly mortified. Not many people besides Wade and Aunt May understood the compulsion to stress cook, the need to provide driven by a spidery instinct. Add to the fact that Danny was his kid now (whether it was on paper or not), possibly dying, and hadn't eating an actual meal in nearly two days drove his instincts into the deep end. So when Danny had simply gotten a plate and enthusiastically dug in, his embarrassment had melted and that surge of affection and protectiveness he had felt last night welled up stronger than before.

Which is why when Danny had said, "I'm going to let my core fade," his heart stopped and he nearly cocooned the kid to the wall.

With all the food that Peter had prepared, it had taken them nearly an hour to eat everything; it wasn't that hard with Peter's and Wade's ridiculous metabolisms, and even Danny gone in for a second helping. After they had eating the very last morsel, Danny had insisted he do the dishes, by himself. Remembering the absolute mess the sink was in Peter had attempted to get up and help, but with a look from Danny, Fido had plonked themselves down on Peter's lap forcing him to stay in the living room. While Danny had washed the dishes, he and Wade talked quietly about what they could do about Danny's core. Peter had read a few of the Fenton's articles, but they frustratingly had no information about how to _stop_ a core from destabilizing. Wade carefully mentioned how maybe Danny's reluctance to solidify on an obsession was based on the violent nature that came with them. Peter had agreed that it might be the problem.

When Danny had finished, Wade delicately sat Danny down on the sofa with them and broached the subject with Danny. Instead of deflecting, or asking them to give him more time alone, Danny had taken a deep breath and had steeled himself.

"I'm going to let my core fade," Danny announced, and Peter's heart stopped as his jaw dropped. Fido cried out despondently, rushing over to Danny and nudging at his chest.

"I'm sorry," Wade remarked sarcastically, but it was tinged with panic, "Did you miss the part of the memo where you could die?"

" _Might_ ," Danny stressed the word, petting Fido reassuringly. "Dr. Strange said I _might_ die. It's likely that I'll just lose my powers."

"So you want to risk your life on a _might!?"_ Wade yelled, throwing his hands out. Fido churred in agreement, snuggling closer into Danny's chest while Danny looked away. "And what's with the nonchalance about losing your _god damn powers!?_ You love being Phantom!" Danny chewed on his lip, bringing his feet up on the sofa and curling around Fido.

"Does this have something to do with you parents?" Peter asked brokenheartedly, barely able to get the words out. Danny flinched. _No, please,_ Peter thought frantically, _I can't lose him already!_

"That's part of it," Danny confessed sourly. "It's just-, this past week has been so _messed up_. And you're right, I _do_ love being Phantom. But if I lose my powers, then everything will go back to normal."

"Bullshit, it will go back to normal!" Wade interjected loudly, standing up and pacing in front of the TV. Danny glared at him.

"How would you know?" Danny retorted hotly while his eyes glowed green, and Fido whined from their spot between Danny's stomach and legs. Peter inhaled sharply as his spidey sense thrummed with Danny's and Wade's charged emotions.

"Because losing your powers doesn't change the fact that your parents hurt you!" Wade roared, and the apartment went still. "Your powers aren't the problem Danny, they never were! It's the fact that your parents were willing to _shoot you_ in some fucked up way to protect you!" Wade paused as he caught his breath before he continued softly, "I know they're your parents, kid, and you probably love them, but that doesn't mean you have to forgive them." Tears gathered in Danny's eyes as the glow faded and he curled tighter around himself, leaning his head on his knees to hide his face. They all were silent as the argument died down before Peter latched on to the phrasing Danny had used.

"Danny, what's the other part?" Peter questioned, heart sinking in guilt when Danny shuddered. "What has got you so scared that you'd rather lose your powers, and possilby die?" Danny shook his head in denial, still refusing to lift his head. Peter shared a look with Wade before he shuffled across the sofa to sit closer to Danny, but didn't touch him. "Is it because you think your obsession will hurt someone?" Danny continued to shudder.

"Do you think it will make you kill someone?" Wade piped in, and that was the tipping point. Danny jumped from the sofa, leaving Fido on the cushions in a disorientated puddle.

"I don't think I'll kill someone," Danny shouted at them, "I know I will!" At the last word, Danny slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide and blood draining from his face.

* * *

Danny wanted to take the words back as soon as they rushed out of his mouth. His core was vibrating irregularly in his anxiety, the seals surrounding it stretching every once and a while. His vision was blurry with tears, and it felt like his lungs couldn't expand. His veins filled with dread as he waited for Peter to shout, to get mad, to demand an explanation.

But all Peter did was take a deep breath and ask, "What do you mean by that?" And Danny knew he had to tell them the truth, remembering his conversation with Daredevil. Danny crossed his arms, and hugged them to his chest.

"Do you remember the time when I told you guys my real name? And that other ghost and reality I told you about?" Danny began, and both Peter and Wade nodded. Danny gulped and continued. "I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth. The ghost-, Clockwork didn't just show me the future. He sent me there," Danny told them shakily, lowering his head so his bangs covered his eyes. "The future I saw-, my future... everything was in ruins. And I was the one who made it that way. My family, my friends, everyone I ever cared about had died because I had made a horrible mistake. And when they did, I gave into my ghost half; I turned myself into a monster. I killed people, hundreds of people. My future self-. Dan. Dan wanted to make sure that I wouldn't change the future, and went back to my time period to make sure history repeated itself. And he nearly did it. He nearly killed me and I almost lost everyone. I managed to beat him, but before I did, Dan said something to me. ' I'm still here. You still turn into me'." Danny hugged himself tighter, his whole body shivering.

"I'm so terrified that if I give in-, that if I let myself have an obsession, I'll be one step closer to turning into Dan," Danny choked on the words. "And I _can't_ , _I_ _can't_ do that! But sometimes, when I fight or I lose control, that's what it _feels_ like. It's what happened in our fight with Plasmius, and it was horrifying. Do you guys have any idea what it's like, blacking out and then waking up to nearly killing someone? And part of you _enjoying_ it!? I won't ever let myself become like that, even if it means losing my powers, or-, or dying."

Danny was crying and shivering quietly by the end, curled so tightly on himself that he didn't notice Peter getting off the couch and standing next to him. Now that his horrible secret was out, he was simply waiting for Peter or Wade to tell him to leave (for them to hurt him like the last adults he had trusted).

"Danny," Peter whispered, in a tone so gentle and soothing that Danny had only ever heard it from his friends and sister. "Danny, can you look at me?" Danny slowly lifted his tear stained face to look past his bangs. Peter wasn't angry, or scared, or like anything Danny had thought he would have been. Peter simply looked relieved, happy, and... content? He brought one of his hands up to run it though Danny's hair, tenderly bringing Danny closer until he was encompassed in Peter's arms.

"You're so brave Danny," Peter murmured into his hair, and more tears started to leak out of Danny's eyes as he gasped. "You're so brave, and kind, and you have such a big heart. I can't imagine what holding that in must have felt like. And I am so _proud_ of you for telling me, and for protecting your friends and your family. It doesn't matter that a different version of you was bad - what matter is the version you are _now_. And who you are, right now, is a wonderful kid who would sacrifice everything for his family and friends, just to protect them. All that love you have, that's not what is going to turn you into Dan - it's what's going to _stop you_ from turning into Dan. It's... it's an anchor."

As the last word left his mouth, Peter went stiff and made a strangled sound. Danny tilted his head up in confusion.

"Oh my God," Peter exclaimed, pull Danny back slightly. "Danny that's it! That's your obsession!" Danny blinked as he wiped away some of his tears, before Peter's words registered.

"That-, you really think so?" Danny sniffled, but even as he asked, he felt something in his core slot into place, like placing the last piece in a puzzle. "Holy shit, you're right - that's it! That's why my core destabilized, because of my parents!" Danny frowned as he realized something. "But then what am I gonna do? If my obsession is to protect my friends and family, what should I do about my parents?"

"I got it!" Wade piped up, strolling over to join their huddle, Fido hanging off their shoulder. "You should just get new parents!" Wade made the statement sound so normal and deadpan, that Danny broke into hysterical giggles and hid his face in Peter's chest to stop his laughter.

"Wade!" Peter shouted exasperatedly, but Danny could tell there was a hint of fondness and it made him laugh even more. "Are you serious right now!?"

"What?" Wade whined, his mask creasing as he smiled, " _We_ were all thinking it, weren't _we_?" Peter grumbled under his breath while Danny got himself under control.

"I think Wade has a point," Danny finally stated as he took a step back from Peter, and both of them turned to look at him. "I still love my parents, but-, but I don't think I can ever love them unconditionally like I used to. Not right now. But you guys-, you, Wade, Fido, Sam and Tucker, Jazz - you guys are my family. You're what keeps me human."

Wade made a dramatic weeping sound as Fido cheered on his shoulder before darting off and plastering themselves on Danny's chest. Wade was following Fido's lead, pulling Danny in close and tucking him under his chin.

"No take backs," Wade cried, and Danny hugged him back before turning and snagging Peter's sleeve and bringing him into the group hug too.

"No take backs," Peter echoed wetly, and this time Danny could hear the, " _I love you,_ " hidden between the words.

As they snuggled together for a few more minutes, the sliver missing from Danny's core slipped back into place, the crack slowly filling as if it was never there at all.

**Author's Note:**

> All right! Second to last episode of the season 2 finale; are y'all excited?
> 
> And did I really make Peter stress cook enough food to feed an army because he had some spidery instincts to make sure ~~his kid~~ Danny was properly fed. Why, yes. Yes I did. (Listen, homemade meals are a _fucking_ god given gift, and if someone in your life loves you enough to cook for you, you better damn well appreciate it)


End file.
